During famine years, I had a divination slip in hand, and my whole family ate chicken, duck, fish, a

"This number."

Miss Zhen held up her hand and slapped them, saying with a hint of helplessness, "

But the boss was so stubborn, I talked myself hoarse, but he wouldn't budge an ounce of silver..."

Five hundred taels?

Ye Qingqing frowned slightly; it was indeed a bit expensive.

However, the fortune teller said to settle it as soon as possible, which reassured her, and she didn't even need to think about it.

"My goodness, five hundred taels is so expensive?"

Li Chunyan, on the other hand, looked surprised and clicked her tongue repeatedly with distress, "Can a three-room storefront really be sold for such a high price? Five hundred taels of silver hasn't even been opened yet..."

Miss Zhen looked at Ye Qingqing, "Five hundred taels would have been about right before, but these days are not peaceful, so his price is at least 30% more expensive."

"Second Sister, I came here because I think that shop is really suitable except for the price. Do you want to come with me to take a look?"

Before Ye Qingqing could speak, Li Chunyan pouted and said,

"Even 30% is over a hundred taels of silver! Nobody's money comes from thin air, why would they care if it's 30% more expensive..."

"No need to look anymore, Aunt Zhen, this is it!"

Ye Qingqing interrupted Li Chunyan, saying decisively, "I've made up my mind. Are you going back to town with me now, or..."

Upon hearing Ye Qingqing say that she wanted to make a decision without even looking at the teapot, Li Chunyan slammed the teapot on the table in a panic, her face pale with anxiety.

"Second girl, are you crazy? Five hundred taels! That's 30% more expensive! In these chaotic times, there are plenty of empty shops in town. You haven't even looked at any of them. Why do you insist on having only one shop?"

Listen to your advice, sister-in-law, why don't we look at other options? Take your time, you'll find something cheaper eventually, what's the rush?

Ye Qingqing glanced at her, her face expressionless.

"Sister-in-law, who's getting angry between us?"

"Father, say something! Try to persuade her, try to talk to her!"

Li Chunyan was so anxious that she broke out in a cold sweat. She nudged Ye Youliang's sleeve.

"Knowing it's expensive, why buy it? It's just a waste of money!"

She didn't have a problem with Ye Qingqing; she was just heartbroken about the money!

After all, no one's money comes from thin air. She was really afraid of being poor before, but now that she's living a good life, she treats every penny as a treasure and is reluctant to spend any more than necessary!

"Father, what do you think?"

Ye Qingqing looked at her father with a half-smile.

Although he had already made up his mind, he still had to give his father some face in front of Aunt Zhen and the family.

The air fell silent instantly.

"Second daughter, what your sister-in-law said makes sense. Your father also thinks it's better to look around more and compare prices."

After a long pause, Ye Youliang slowly said, "Logically, you earned the money, so you can spend it however you want. But five hundred taels is no small sum. Your father feels that we can't let them cheat us out of it..."

Li Chunyan nodded vigorously, "That's right! Dad's right!"

Ye Qingqing smiled faintly, "The storefront that Aunt Zhen has taken a liking to goes without saying. It's not a big deal if it's a little more expensive."

Li Chunyan reacted as if she'd stepped on a tail, "Second Girl..."

Before she could even speak, Ye Dali lightly elbowed her in the waist. She turned her head and glared at him, yelling...

"What's wrong?"

Ye Dali, with an honest and simple expression, advised his wife, "Yan'er, don't be anxious, listen to Er Yatou."

"I know, you have to say it!"

Li Chunyan puffed out her cheeks, swallowing all her anger and frustration.

What does "a little bit" mean?

Thirty percent is more than a hundred taels of silver. A family of four working hard in the fields for a year couldn't earn more than a hundred taels of silver!

Second daughter, you're getting too cocky! You're getting way too cocky!

Miss Zhen looked at the family with great interest, her charming and smiling eyes hiding an indescribable envy, and a memory welled up in her heart.

Back then...

Unexpectedly, Ye Qingqing asked him a question.

"Aunt Zhen, what do you think?"

"Me..."

Miss Zhen quickly gathered her thoughts, sighed softly, and the shrewdness on her face faded slightly, replaced by a troubled expression.

"Brother Liang, Second Sister, actually I came here in a bit of a dilemma... I really think that shop is great. It has three storefronts facing south, and the back yard can be used for living and storing goods. It's only a few dozen steps away from the main street, and there are grain shops and cloth shops next door. It's very popular."

But the price was really steep. The owner's surname was Zhou, and he was incredibly stubborn! I spent the whole night trying to negotiate, but he wouldn't budge an inch.

I told him I'd look for other companies, but he said if we couldn't decide today, he'd talk to someone else.

"What? He went to another company? At this price, he can find another company?"

Li Chunyan curled her lip in disdain, "What kind of logic is that! He's in a hurry to sell and move south, and he won't even let people bargain? I think he's just bullying people!"

"They're just bullying you, they just won't sell to you, what can you do about it?"

Miss Zhen glanced at her and thought to herself that she was a simpleton who couldn't keep a secret.

Li Chunyan was speechless after being rebuked by her.

Miss Zhen looked at Ye Qingqing and smiled faintly.

"In this day and age, there are plenty of people who don't want to waste their time on the frontier and are heading south."

But not everyone can actually afford to spend five hundred taels of silver to buy a shop; they're gambling on this one-off deal.

The room fell silent once again.

Ye Qingqing sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), tapping the kang table with her fingers, her expression indescribably calm.

She glanced at Miss Zhen and asked softly, "Aunt Zhen, is there really nothing wrong with the Zhou family's shop except for the price?"

"No, really."

Miss Zhen shook her head and said firmly,

"I looked at it three times inside and out... The beams and pillars were sturdy, the roof didn't leak, the ground was paved with blue bricks, the counters and shelves were ready-made, and even the well in the backyard was in good condition."

You can buy it, tidy it up a bit, hang up a sign, and open for business.

Ye Qingqing nodded, then looked at Ye Youliang.

"Father, I've decided to keep it. Is there anything else you'd like to say?"

Ye Youliang took a puff of his pipe, raised his hand, and waved at her.

"I'm just a hunter, what would I know about these things? Second daughter, you make the decision, I'll listen to you."

These words sounded like an excuse, but Ye Qingqing knew that her father was truly letting her "do whatever she wanted."

Five hundred taels of silver can be a fortune if you buy it well, and a waste if you buy it poorly. Let alone a farmer in Kaoshantun, even if a rich man in town brought five hundred taels, they would think twice about it.

The divination slip indicates that a shop in town is for sale; you should seize the opportunity to buy it.

It's not "optional" or "worth considering," it's "must be bought now."

My sister-in-law is absolutely right: Nobody's money comes from thin air!

If it weren't for the spiritual divination slips as a guarantee, Ye Qingqing probably wouldn't have considered spending an extra 30% of her silver to buy a shop.

"Alright, it's settled then."

Ye Qingqing smiled faintly, looked at Miss Zhen, and said in a steady but not loud voice, "Thank you, Aunt Zhen, I'll go to town right away to finalize the shop."

Li Chunyan jumped to her feet, "Second Girl!"